Nigerian Forces Rescue Over 300 Hostages from Jihadi Kidnappers

In a significant rescue operation, Nigerian forces have freed at least 308 victims who were held captive by jihadi kidnappers. This is reported to be the largest rescue mission in Nigeria’s history. The operation took place over the past week, rescuing victims mainly from two groups.

Among those rescued were 163 individuals taken from the Woro community in Kwara State during a raid on February 3. That raid resulted in the death of an additional 160 people in the village. Many captives believed they were targeted for refusing to accept the religious teachings of their captors.

Hauwa Saliu, one of the rescued victims, recounted how their captors persistently questioned them about accepting jihad. Despite their ordeal, she expressed disbelief that they would ever return home. “We prayed to God to help us go back home, but it never really crossed our minds that we were going to go back home,” she told the Associated Press.

Another woman, Amira Saliu, described their living conditions. They were held in a forest near a river, required to extinguish fires, and hide when helicopters were nearby. As a nurse, Saliu assisted in delivering 10 babies without any medical tools, using her bare hands due to the lack of sanitation supplies.

Mary Ishaya, aged 44, shared the hardships faced by the group. They went days without food and even had to bury those who died among them. “I still cannot find the right words to describe what has happened to us. We saw death and suffering,” she lamented.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara State confirmed that 46 victims are currently receiving medical care in a hospital. He expressed distress over the situation, remarking on the prominence of women and children among the rescued.

The incident underscores the tensions between the militant Islamic insurgency in Nigeria and the Christian population, which constitutes about 45% of the nation. Previously, on Christmas Day, coordinated missile strikes were authorized by President Donald Trump to target Islamic State-affiliated groups threatening Nigerian Christians. Subsequent U.S. military action in May reportedly led to the death of a senior Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Mainuk.